


Soup of Carneades

by Cecileen_aka_C2



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: I mean this is pirate-themed(sorta), Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, So apparently Ouma is some sort of 20m long sea serpent..., Yes I won't stop using Greek myth allusion, lots of swearing, read it by yourself, somewhere among Moby Dick and Life of Pi and Sea Turtle Soup Riddle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 23:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15762291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cecileen_aka_C2/pseuds/Cecileen_aka_C2
Summary: "If we run out of even more food, even a piece of meat will be too good for us, and we’re gonna die."You’ll die first. Saihara thought."Do you think they are going to eat us?"Ouma laughed with trademark nishishi at Saihara’s reaction."Not really. Although we aren’t really that fleshy, but it’s better than nothing, right? So they'll kill us and get meat...""Don’t say anything disgusting.""Why not? You don’t want to be eaten?""Yeah.""Then you have to eat."





	Soup of Carneades

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [20m가 넘는 바다괴물 오마](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/408654) by 글린다. 



> Author's Note:  
> I just wanted to see a whale soaring from the bottom of the ocean and gulping down a ship except it's Ouma… I dunno what kind of drug I did to come up with such idea but here I did it anyway  
> TBH the word '20m long sea monster' sounded so badass and I wanted to use that  
> Writer's block was murdering me but once I got the prompt it took me less than 40 minutes  
> I'm prompt-thirsty writer at heart
> 
> Translator's Note:  
> Please raise your hand if you can relate to translator's block(please say yes)  
> 'INTRIGUING' -by proofreader(thanks Claire I love you too)  
> August 22 is Louis, I mean Glinda(he changed his HN)'s birthday! This should count as acceptable Bday gift  
> Now I've known him for more than a year... I'm pretty sure you have read at least one of his works(which were translated by me). If you too like his works, it would be really kind of you if you can leave some Happy Bday comment below!

Saihara had no memory of how long he has been a sailor. He forgot since when he began to labor on the ship. But he did remember that he became a captive of this ship at some point. The reason he used the word ‘captive’ was because this ship was a pirate ship. The scoundrels who pillage passing ships and kill people. It was hard to imagine that those criminals invited Saihara to join them.

 

'Yo. wanna join our ship?'

 

It was hilarious to just imagine that.

 

"Why are you smiling?"

 

Ouma asked Saihara. Saihara didn’t want to reply. He did not want to reconfirm that he was forced to labor on this ship since young age, too young that he could not bring back memories. Saihara shut his mouth tight, and Ouma, who became another captive a few days earlier, seemed that he has grown used to it.

 

Is ‘captive’ even a right word? ‘Cause Ouma appeared on their ship after eating up another one. Plus nobody insisted that he brought Ouma to the ship. It was unusual reaction for pirates who liked to boast about their loots. Then the pirates concluded that Ouma must've come to this ship because he admired them and bursted into laughter. Of course everyone was internally suspecting someone of playing the innocent.

 

Saihara had somewhat close tie to Ouma. There would be no such event as sacrificing his life, but at least he could pass the water bottle when Ouma couldn’t drink while he could. But still only to some extent.

 

And Saihara secretly welcomed Ouma when he learnt there was a newcomer. Saihara detested that fact. _When we run out of food, Ouma will die instead of me._ It was first time for Saihara to think over that statement. At least when there's no food left, Ouma would be the first one to fall to the sea with his body all tied up. That was an obvious fact, which Saihara detested. His brain thinking over that fact, pirates who waste food with parties held every night, the generous yet sometimes cruel sea. And the sky that won't grant him salvation… he loathed everything. At least on this ship.

 

"We don’t have much food left on this ship."

 

Ouma whispered to Saihara and grinned. Saihara almost asked him why was wrong with him. Saihara was smeared with the pirates’ wording. If he didn’t watch his language, he would’ve certainly spitted out pirates’ language:  _ Let's throw all land bastards to the sea and piss over them!  _ Then he would roar out loud. That will make me no different from pirates. Because I’m on the pirate ship, and that makes me a pirate.

 

"Why are you smiling?"

 

"Just wondering who will die first. Between you and I."

 

_ You will. I learnt quite a lot of stuff on this ship and you’re just a rookie. So you, goddamn bastard from who-even-cares, will die before me, who can at least be a helping hand. _

 

"I don’t know either. Though I’ve irritated handful of people around here."

 

"No one can beat me for nagging people to death."

 

Ouma counted the bruises on his arms with his distinct laughter of  _ nishishi _ . Saihara wondered what kind of freaking imp Ouma was. Ouma was like the creator of discord. He would shout that the navy is coming, and laugh, saying it was a lie. If somebody ran after him, claiming that he would ‘take care of that bastard,’ he scurried away. He was a surprisingly good runner-if everyone learnt how to run away like that, they could’ve become excellent mountain bandits.

 

"Amazing. Don’t you get tired of that?"

 

"No-pe. I might get beaten up, but I can win."

 

"That’s nonsense."

 

"I deceive someone. Most likely people around here. AKA pirates. It’s kinda weird to call them pirates when I’m on the same boat. Anyway. I deceive someone. Then he would get angry. And there’s me, the very deceiver, right next to his fist. So I get beaten up. But that guy can't win. I’m the winner. I’m the deceiver and the game is over. Unless he can deceive me back, that person will never defeat me. The fist has zero effect on the game. Because it’s the concept from totally different dimension. That’s how I always win."

 

"But it’s no use if you get beaten up even if you win."

 

"Dunno."

 

Then Ouma whistled-until the guy from the prow threw a barrel at Ouma and yelled at him to shut the fuck up.

  
  
  


The amount of food supply decreased.

 

There was no one who could skillfully utilize the fishing rod. They considered fishing as a dishonor. A common pirate mindest:  _ why do we have to fish when we can get everything from plundering? _ So no one even tried to practice using fishing rod, and the food was too good to be wasted as a bait. Every attempt would be in vain anyway.

 

_ We have to eat less. _ Although they came up with that conclusion, they didn’t even make half-hearted effort. Only Ouma and Saihara did so. They ate a slice of dried meat after not eating anything for two days. What a full meal.

 

Ouma won’t shut his mouth for a freaking  second. Crazy with hunger and despair, Saihara had to make extreme efforts to not hit Ouma. Not only they did not want to, but also it was a waste of energy. They won’t survive if they do such stuff.

 

"Hmm. Looks like we’re gonna starve to death."

 

Saihara chose to not reply.

 

"Ah. I’m sooooo hungry. I Wanna eat something."

 

Saihara almost agreed.

 

"If we run out of even more food, even a piece of meat will be too good for us, and we’re gonna die."

 

_ You’ll die first. _ Saihara thought.

 

"Do you think they are going to eat us?"

 

Ouma laughed with trademark  _ nishishi _ at Saihara’s reaction.

 

"Not really. Although we aren’t really that fleshy, but it’s better than nothing, right? So they'll kill us and get meat..."

 

"Don’t say anything disgusting."

 

"Why not? You don’t want to be eaten?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"Then you have to eat."

 

Saihara concluded that Ouma was babbling nonsense again. He was tired. He wanted to sleep so badly. What pushed him to go to sleep was the fact that Ouma’s words had a point. So he ended up falling asleep.

 

"If you don’t want to be eaten, you have to eat."

 

Ouma’s words faded into purple. Just like the color of bruises on his arm, just like the color of his hair, it was vivid shade of purple.

 

_ "If you’re not brave enough to eat..." _

  
  
  


Everything was faint. There was only thin boundary among life, death, and dream. After all, Oneiroi and Thanatos-Dream and Death-were sibling. Saihara could not snap out of it. He was in a dreamlike state he felt like dying, and felt like living. Saihara made self-diagnosis that he was starving to death. At least it looked like that he was not dead yet. Because he was so hungry. Maybe he was dreaming or alive. Saihara hesitantly opened his eyes. When his eyes were open, so did his ears, same for his nose.

 

"Oi. he’s awake."

 

"Do we have to give it to him?"

 

"Why, at least we gotta give him chance to say goodbye to his friend."

 

_I don’t have friends._ Saihara was going to repeat that and go back to sleep. Until he noticed the smell of food. Although he could not identify it, Saihara wanted to die after eating that if death was inevitable. It was a paradox since he would not die for a while if he eats.

 

A bowl of soup fell in front of it. Saihara raised his head.  _ Someone’s not going to piss or spit here. _ With such thought.

 

"Where did... the food..."

 

"Sea turtle. Ya know what it looks like?"

 

"No..."

 

"So it has this round, wide carapace and limbs and head here and there..."

 

One pirate passionately described sea turtle in front of Saihara. Anyway the point was that they found it by chance, and there was a lot of meat, enough for tomorrow’s breakfast.

 

Sea turtle soup. Even though he didn’t know how it looked like, but its meat was pretty good. In fact really delicious.  _ If only Ouma ate this too.  _ Saihara’s reason chose to not work for unknown reason. He chose to not make a logical deduction of why Ouma disappeared. Maybe the reason felt that this was not the time to come out. Or maybe Saihara’s subconscious suppressed that.

 

Anyway, Saihara decided to imagine that Ouma was noisily eating the soup. Slowly he emptied the bowl, and happily went back to sleep.

 

That was why Saihara could not forgive himself next morning.

 

Saihara did not refuse. He ate his share of soup without any words. His mind began to function again and he stared at the soup again. He did not throw up. He did not throw the bowl. He did not swore to pirates that they are cannibals, inhuman trash, fucking hell of bastards. Saihara just ate the soup. If he did, that truly would’ve made him a legend. Saihara who refused to eat the meat of companion. He remained as human till very last. Such fairy tales always belong to the living ones. Remaining as human till very last means there was last. He wanted to live. He did not want to see the last. So he ate the soup, and that became the reason why he could not forgive himself.

 

Saihara stared at the black water. The night sky is saturated with the blackness of the sky. And it deepens to the point where one cannot even estimate. Or so it seems.

 

_Why am I standing here?_ Saihara’s blank mind wondered. _I have to live because I ate Ouma’s meat. It is my responsibility. If I don't, then I didn’t have to eat Ouma’s meat in the first place._

 

He who chose something that’s inhuman instead of not staying as human till end is now standing at the crossroad of making a choice of whether to remain as something inhuman or not.

 

Saihara did not even want to think anymore. So he just took a step forward. What a reasonless action. He just vacantly jumped to the sea. The splash wasn’t too loud. He did not want to think about anything. Maybe he finally went crazy,

 

Or maybe he could not live after eating the meat of someone whom he has-to some extend, at least-grown attached to.

 

The sea was cold. So cold that he immediately regretted his decision. So he chose to rise to the surface. The will to survive clang to him, but it wasn’t enough to shout at pirate ship to save him. He forgot what he wanted to do.  _ Did I want to die? Did I want to live? _ If he wanted to die, then he shouldn’t have risen to the surface, and if he wanted to live, then he shouldn’t have jumped in the first place.

 

Saihara decided to just swim. Faraway from the pirate ship. His strength gradually dwindled, same for his temperature. His movement became notably slower. His throat became dry after he swallowed sea water several times. Sea water made zero contribution to relieve thirst. Saihara wanted to laugh. Laugh with familiar sound of  _ nishishi _ . He wanted to shout with arrogance, with irritation, with confidence;  _ I’m the winner of this world, even if I’m covered with bruise I seized the victory! Yeah! Like Ouma did! _ He wanted to swear;  _ even if I was a slave of pirate ship, even if I was no better than a dog, my dignity, my existence, ‘I’ could not be defeated by anyone! _

 

The spark that flared so fervently inside him died away. Saihara missed Ouma. If he will meet Ouma again at hell, would Ouma be kind enough to demand Saihara this with a smile?

 

"See how my shoulder is empty? Then throw up. I want to fit the missing parts."

 

Then Saihara would reply:

 

"How did you fit the parts eaten by others?"

 

Ouma would laugh without a sound.

 

Saihara sensed a big wave approaching. It was coming from behind him. Had the pirate ship just jumped or something? Such wonder was confirmed as Saihara’s eyes caught a pirate ship that was actually sprang up. Higher and higher, the pirate ship soared up to the point where it seemed at least 20 meters above the sea. The empty sky was split, and the pirate ship was gone. Only then Saihara’s eyes caught it. It was purple.

 

He’ve seen a being called whale from a book before. It looked exactly like that, but it was not a whale. There was no such thing as purple whale in this world. What Saihara witnessed was both something and nothing at the same time· He realized that it had soared from the bottom of the sea, threw pirate ship up to the sky, and gulped it down.

 

He remembered the story from before. The one that was told by one of the pirates. In the abyss deeper than the bottom of the sea, there is a fish called angler. That fish uses glowing rod to attract the prey and devours it. He drew a conclusion; that thing in front of him also allured and wolfed down somebody else, and that glowing rod of something broke through the realm of reality and shaped an individual named Kokichi Ouma. Then he fainted.

  
  
  


A traveler walked into a restaurant and asked for sea turtle soup. He murmured after a swallow.

 

"I knew it wasn’t sea turtle soup."

 

The traveler paid the price and left the restaurant. He was staggering rather than walking. He disappeared into somewhere far away, and no one could see him ever again.


End file.
